Water-tube boiler.



PATENTED MAY 7,1907.

J. J. COLE. WATER TUBE BOILER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, 1 905.

shuns-sum 1.

No. 853,064. PATENTED MAY 7, 190v.

J.. J COLE. WATER TUBE BOILER.

APPLICATION FILED APR 14, 1905.

Wifwneo 3 SHEETB-BHEBT 2.

'PATBNTED MAY 7', 1907. 'J.- J. COLE.

WATER I TUBE BOILER. APPLICATION FILED APR .14,1905.

s sums-$113121 a.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFTQE JOSEPH J. COLE, OF PATTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO MICHAEL COLE, ONF-FIFTH TO WILLIAM COLE, ON E-FIFTH TO HENRY COLE, AND ONE-FIFTH TO FRANK COLE, OF' PATTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

WATER-TUBE BOILER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1907.

Application filed April 14,1905. Serial No. 255,633.

To (LU whmn it 7711(141 concern:

Be it known that I, J osnrn J. COLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Patton, in the county of Oambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in l/Vater Tube Boilers and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I This invention relates to improvements in steam generators or boilers and particularly to that class of boilers that are commonly known as water tube boilers.

It is the object of the present invention to so construct a water tube boiler that a large surface containing water will be subjected to a heating medium in such a manner that the water will be rapidly converted into steam.

It is also the purpose of the invention to so construct the boiler that anyone or all of the tubes may be easily or quickly removed in the event of their becoming damaged and new ones be substituted in their place but it is further within the contemplation of the invention to make it possible to blow out or clean the interior of any or all of the tubes of the boilers. Y

The invention comprises certain novel con structions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved water tube boiler. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, looking at the same from the side of the inlet header and showing the branch headers thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a water tube boiler looking at the ends of the branch headers thereof, the boiler in this instance being fed through a supply pipe at the upper end of the inlet header. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view through one of the branch headers of the boiler showing the means for connecting a water tube thereto. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig; 3 but showing a different kind of header for the water inlet. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing a portion of a boiler formed with a combined inlet header and steam collecting dome. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of a plug to be employed in the place of my improved tube coupling when one of the tubes are removed. Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view through the fire box of a steam boiler furnace showing the arrangement of the water tubing therein. Fig. 9 is a vertical central section through the same. Fig. 10 is a sectional view through the walls of a fire box showing a little different arrangement of the water tubing therein for forming a grate. Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view through the header of a boiler, my improved combined pipe coupler and spacing device being shown in elevation. Fig. 12 is a longitudinal central section through said coupling and spacer. Fig. 13 is a sectional view through a modified form of a boiler showing the water tubes arranged in a zigzag manner in the fire box.

In constructing my improved water tube boiler I have so arranged the parts that while a large area of water containing surface may be exposed to the action of heat for rapidly converting the water into steam I am enabled at the same time to maintain a sufficient quantity of steam to prevent the rapid use of the same from exhausting the supply too quickly. I am aware that many boilers have been constructed in which the water is spread over extensive heating surfaces but such boilers usually collect and hold a very small quantity of steam for use and when the supply of steam is drawn upon heavily the pressure in the boiler is greatly diminished. In a boiler constructed in accordance with the present invention I am enabled to place a suflicient quantity of water therein and provide an ample space for accumulating a large supply of steam such that the pressure may be maintained at a proper degree even though the steam be rapidly drawn from the boiler.

In carrying out my invention I employ a header connected with the water inlet and connected with said header are a number of branch headers or tube receiving members from which the tubes of the boiler project, the said tubes being supplied with water through said branch headers. I also provide a receiving dome which has a number of headers projecting therefrom for receiving steam from the ends of the tubes and the said dome thus provides ample space for storing a supply of steam which can be drawn upon as needed for the operation of any mechanism. A boiler of this character is admirably adapted for use in automobiles, fire engines or other places where it is desirable to quickly raise steam to a suitable pressure and maintain it for constant use.

The arrangement of the parts will be evident by reference to the accompanying drawings in which I have shown a preferable form of boiler and in which the vertical water inlet header 1 will be observed as arranged adjacent to the steam collecting dome 2 and with which it is preferably connected at its lower end by suitable piping 3. Extending laterally from the header 1 are branch headers 4 which extend a sufiicient length to accommodate a series of water tubes 5. laterally from the steam collecting receptacle or dome 2 are a second set of branch headers 6, which are arranged adjacent to the branch headers 4 and which receive the return ends of the tubes 5. The branch headers 6 are ar ranged preferably in opposite relation to the branch headers 4, that is to say so as to come opposite the space between said header ,4 as will be clearly seen by reference to Fig. 3. The water tubes 5 extend approximately in horizontal planes and well to one side of the-headers and steam dome as shown in Fig. 1 and each pipe 5 starts from the inlet header 1 and returns to one of the branch steam dome headers 6'. A circulation of steam and water is thus secured through the said water tubes, the steam collecting in the dome 2. The tubes 5 are made to extend to one side and are arranged above each other in horizontal planes as will be apparent in Figs. 1 and 3 so that a large expanse of tubing containing the water which is to be converted into steam will be submitted to the heat of a burner or other heating agent Without the subjecting of the header and steam dome di rectly to the effect of such heating agent.

The manner of connecting the water tubes to the branch headers 4 and 5 forms an important feature of the invention. Such connection is effected by means of connecting members comprising a tapering nipple 7 which is made hollow at its larger end and is provided with a transverse passage 8. The end of a tube 5 which is threaded is screwed into the aperture 9 in the end of the nipple and the tapering walls of the nipple are inserted in an aperture 10 formed in the header which is provided with a correspondingly tapered seat for receiving said tapered 1 nipple or member.- A tapering seat or-aperture 11 is also formed in the opposite wall of the header from that in which the aperture 10 is formed and a cap or plug 12 having a tapering periphery 18 is inserted in said aperture 11 and receives, in a threaded recess 14 formed therein, the threaded tapered end of the nipple 7. The cap 12 is provided with a squared or many sided head 15 to which a wrench may be applied for screwing the parts of the coupling together and drawing them Extending;

snugly in position in the seats or apertures formed in the opposite Walls of the header. Different seats, it will be apparent, have oppositely beveled edges, and the members of the coupling are oppositely beveled, so that when the parts become heated in raising steam the members of the coupling will only be the more tightly held in position upon their seats and there will be no opportunity for leakage at any of the points between the parts. It will be evident that a coupling of this kind can be readily loosened forthe removal of any one of the tubes 5 and for the replacing of a new one. Both ends of the tubes 5 are thus connected with their respective headers. A boiler of the character described is usually provided with a large number of water tubes and in the event of one of them becoming injured by bursting, ripping or the like, the injured tube can be quickly removed by loosening the couplings at its ends and plugs similar to the couplings as shown in- Fig. 7 may be inserted for closing the apertures at 9 and 11, when the boiler may againbe used. This structure will prove of great advantage where the boiler is em ployed in an automobile or a fire engine and an accident occurs to anyof the tubes when the apparatus is out upon the road and a dis tance from any shop or repair station. The

above described but not provided with an inlet aperture for receiving the end of a tube. It will be evident that instead of using such plugs that a new tube' may be taken with the machine and if such is the case of course the new tube may be substituted in place of the injured one at the time of an accident.

As above intimated the construction of the boiler is such that any one of the tubes may ,boiler by having the closing plugs substi- ICC be blown out for cleansing it in the event of its becoming clogged in any way. To accomplish. this result one set of the headers, preferably the inlet branch headers 4, are provided with cut-off valves 18 which are lo cated in said branch headers adjacent to the main inlet header 1. The outer free ends of the branch headers are also provided with valves or top cocks 19 by which the ends of said branch headers are normally closed. The valves 18 are normally open. When it is desired to blow out the tubes connected with any one of the branch headers it is only necessary to close the valve 18 of that header and open the blow out valve 19 when the steam pressure from the dome 2 will cause a back pressure in the tubes connected with the header 4 and will blow out all the contents of said tube and the contents of the header 4 connected therewith. I find in practice that this blowing out of any one of the headers and the tubes connected there with can be accomplished without materially lessening the head of steam maintained in the boiler. This is so because the valves 18 partially isolate the tubes which are being cleansed from the remainder of the boiler during the blowing out process. As soon as the tubes have been cleansed the blow off valve 19 is closed and the valve 18 is opened again to establish communication between the header and the remainder of the boiler. The water supply tube or pipe for the boiler may be admitted to the supply header 1 either at its lower or its upper end as preferred. As shown in Fig. 2 said inlet supply pipe 20 may be connected with the elbow 21 which joins the piping 3 with the inlet header 1. In this manner the pressure from the dome 2. will operate to help force the stream of incoming water into the header 1 and discharge it through the branch headers and the water tubes. I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself, however, to this mode of introducing the water for as shown in Fig. 3 the supply pipe as 22 may be connected with the inlet header 1 at the upper end thereof. In this construction the en trance of the water at the upper end of the header 1 will insure a thorough distribution of the water to the branch headers 4 and all of the water tubes will receive a supply of water for forming steam. Of course much of the water will settle to-the lower portion of the boiler and steam will collect in the upper portion thereof, and especially in the upper portion of the dome- 2. The steam is generally drawn from the boiler through an outlet pi e 23 connected with the tube of said dome.

nstead of employing an upright distributing header 1 for the inlet water and a series of branch headers connected therewith, I also contemplate employing a hollow receptacle 24 as shown in Fig. 5, which is connected directly with the water tubes. The same connecting coupling as above described is used for connecting the tubes with said inlet header the opposite parallel walls of the header being provided with oppositely beveled apertures in the same way as the branch headers 4 heretofore described. As shown in Fig. 6 the inlet header and the steam dome or steam collecting header may all be combined in a single hollow header 25 which is connected with both ends of the water tubes.

It will be understood that other mechanical equivalents or minor changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the boiler without departing from the spirit of the invention. In applying this boiler to a heating mechanism or furnace of any kind I usually arrange a closure about the water tubes so as to collect and apply the heat from the heating agent directly thereto.

It isnot necessary that the heat come in contact with the headers and branch headers or the dome. This is usually the way .the boiler is arranged in applying it to an automobile.

The arrangement of the water tubes may be varied to suit the circumstances of the particular furnace with which the boiler is employed. In some instances it is desirable to so arrange the water tubes that some of them may form a grate or fuel support and I have illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, and 10 such an arrangement of the water tubes. In Figs. 8 and 9 the boiler is formed with a header and steam collecting portion 26 and with water tubes extending laterally therefrom. Some of the Water tubes as at 27 are arranged in a horizontal plane, the loops of the said tubes being located within each other as shown in Fig. 8 and the ends of the tubes are connected in the walls of the header 26 by my improved coupling and connecting device as shown at 28. Some of the tubes may also be arranged in a horizontal manner in the upper part of the fire box as indicated at 27 while other tubes are arranged at the sides of the fire box as shown at 30. In this way the bed of fuel is supported upon water tubes and the flames rising therefrom are surrounded by the water tubes and thus the water tubes are thoroughly subjected to the effect of the said flames in raising the temperature of the water and steam within them. In Fig. 10 I have shown the casing 31 of a rectangular fire box and a grate made up of water tubes 32. These water tubes are formed in sections and each section is looped so as to extend across the fire box longitu- "dinally and back again to the same wall from which it started. The next adjacent loop is arranged in the reverse direction being connected at its ends to the opposite wall of the fire box and lapping upon the first tube. The curved or looped ends 33 of the tubes thus rest upon the ends of the adjacent tubes which are secured to the walls of 1 the fire box. This arrangement continues across the fire supporting surface of the fire box so that it is only necessary to secure the tubes to the walls of the fire box at their ends and the secured ends of each tube section will be in position to offer a positive support to the looped end portions of the said tube sections. The bent ends of the tube sections are preferably arched over the connected tube end upon which they rest so that all of the tubes may for the greater portion of their length in the fire box. lie in the same plane as the adjacent tubes. This forms a good grate surface and one which will be well adapted for supporting fuel for heating the water in the tubes. The ends of the tube sections are connected with the walls of the fire box by my improved tube coupler formed as above described.

It is Within the contemplation of the invention to so construct the pipe couplings that they may be used as stay bolts for the opposite walls of the headers in which they are applied. I have illustrated the preferable manner of forming the combined couplings and stay bolts in Figs. 11 and 12. In these figures the coupling is shown with the two tapering members 34 and 35 and in this instance the pipe engaging member 34 is only bored a short distance into the interior of the header as at 36 and the lateral passages 37 which connect the water tubes with the interior of the header are arranged a short distance inside of the adjacent wall of the header. The outer end of the member 35 is preferably flared outwardly to a considerable extent as at 38 so as to permit of the aperture 39 formed in the wall ofthe header being sufficiently large to receive the spacer of the said member 40. The inner end of the coupling member 34 is reduced in size and threaded as at 41 for engaging the nut member 35.

The nut member 35 is made with a screw threaded socket 42 for receiving the threaded end 41 of the other member. The spacer is preferably made of tubular material and is split for the greater portion of its length by making notches 43 in the opposite walls thereof. In this manner arms 44 are formed at one end of the spacer which may be spread for abutting against the inner surface of the header wall. In assembling the parts the spreader is inserted through the aperture 39 in front of the plug member 34, the end of the spreader which is not split being thrust in first. This unsplit end of the spreader will engage and slip around the tapered end of the nut member 35. The lengthfiof the spreader is made just sufficient to reach from one wall to the other and as soon as the coupling tapering member 34 is drawn into placefi by turning the nut member 35 it will spread the split portion of the spacer forcing its ends 44 outwardly to one side of the aperture 39. In this manner the walls may be properly spaced apart as when using a sleeve with an ordinary stay bolt. The split or enlarged side portions of the spacer not only permit of the arms thus formed being spread, after the spacer isinserted through the aperture 39, but form openings in the spacer opposite the apertures 37 so as not to interfere with the communication established be tween the header and the water tube. Of course it will be apparent that such a spacer may be used with any of the couplers set forth in this application. whether the same is applied to a header with parallel walls or with tubular walls as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

A very rigid connection between the tubes and the walls of the header can thus be formed and the spacer will prevent the springing of the walls together. The flared outer edge 38 of the coupling member 34 will be drawn snugly into the aperture 39 so as to tightly close the same. It will be under stood of course that I contemplate using a spacing sleeve or nut. in connection with my tube coupling as found desirable without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In Fig. 13 I have illustrated a boiler in which the water tubes are connected by means of couplings 45 with the walls at the side of the combustion chamber 46. The steam dome is arranged at 47 and the portion of the boiler adjacent thereto is strength ened by ordinary stay bolts 48. At the sldes of the boiler it will be observed that the couplings 45 act as stay bolts. This construction while being quite simple and operating to subject the water tubes completely to the action of the heat in the combustion chamber makes it possible to thoroughly brace the walls of the boiler.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a water tube boiler, a water containing receptacle, a coupling comprising a hollow tapered member with its small end screw threaded and inserted through one of the side walls of the receptacle, a tapered nut inserted through the opposite side wall and engaging the hollow member, and a bent water heating tube having one end engaged within the hollow coupling member, and the opposite end in communication with the receptacle.

2. In a water tube boiler, a water containing receptacle, a coupling comprising a hollow tapered nipple with "a transverse opening, and with its small end screw threaded and inserted through one of the side walls of and into the receptacle, a tapered nut inserted through the opposite side wall and engaging the screw threaded end of the nipple, and a bent water heating tube having one end engaged within the hollow nipple, and the 0pposite end engaged within a header in communication with the receptacle.

3. A water tube boiler, comprising a series of water tubes, and a tubular header. connected with the ends of the tubes and having oppositely arranged apertures in its walls and oppositely beveled members engaging said apertures and connected with the tubes for coupling the tubes to the headers.

4. In a water tube boiler, a header and water heating tube, a coupling for securing the water tube to the header, comprising a tapered nipple having lateral passages formed therein, positioned to open within the header, and a tapered nut engaging the inner end of said nipple and operating to draw the nipple tightly to the header.

5. A water tube boiler comprising headers, water tubes connected at their ends with said header by means of couplings comprising op- I positely beveled members engaging tapered apertures in opposite walls of the headers and having transverse apertures forming communication between the tubes and the interior of the headers.

6. A water tube boiler comprising supply and outlet headers, water tubes connected therewith, couplings for joining the ends of the tubes to the headers, comprising a hollow tapered member engaged upon the end of a tube and having a transverse passage for communicating with the header and a tapered nut engaging the end of said hollow member for drawing it tightly in place in the header.

7. A water tube boiler, comprising an inlet header having oppositely arranged apertures therein, an outlet header, tubes connected with the inlet header at one end and at their upper ends connected with the outlet header and couplings connected with the ends of the tubes, said couplings comprising a tapering tube member, and a cap or plug member, the said cap member also tapering, the two members .of the coupling engaging the opposite walls of the inlet header and affording a connection between the tubes and the interior of the said header.

8. A water tube boiler, comprising water tubes, a header connected with the ends of said tubes having parallel walls formed with oppositely arranged apertures or seats, and couplings connected with the ends of the tubes and made up of oppositely tapering members, and means for drawing the tapering members toward each other to tighte the couplings in place in the header.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH J. COLE.

Witnesses:

CAssELL SEVERANCE, LUTHER L. APPLE. 

